bumblepug

cracklin' oat bran can work for you!

ralph loves cracklin' oat bran cereal so much that he bought it and it went stale.  he decided to throw it in the garbage though we don't have a protective barrier for the trash bags which means no food can be tossed into our garbage because dog will spare no expense at getting to the goods.  as luck would have it, ralph put his stale cracklin' oat bran into our garbage and dog got to the box and ate all of it (no surprise here)!

so, in case you were ever having a stagnant digestive system (and you wanted to change that), you should know that cracklin' oat bran did the trick for dog so it would probably work for you, too! 

we took her out to the grocery store and i waited in the car with her while ralph shopped, and she farted nearly 30 times within 20 minutes- so loud that she looked around to see where the noise was coming from. 

i can say now, there is nothing worse than a dog fart.  my car has stench of dog farts now.  yuck.

shower heads

yes, that's showerheads, plural, as in two.  ralph installed two showerheads in our shower that come out of one spout.  he was trying to create the ultimate shower experience and although it looks very space age and hi-tich, i'm afraid it fell a little short of our expectations.  no that i really have a high shower standard, i mean, seriously...i was showering in between his working, and it didn't have a head or anything- it was just water coming out of the wall.  ironically, i think i like that simple set-up best of all (just a whole with lots of water coming out) but that would probably ruin the pipes or something terrible after a fair amount of time.

so, ralph is going back to the drawing board since i almost drowned taking a shower.  this head is like 3 feet above my head so i really have to stand in the right spot if i want the shampoo to rinse out- meanwhile- the baby head is shooting up my nose.  what an experience.  good thing i really love water and am accustomed to water spraying up my nose thanks to allergy sprays.

unfortunately i don't know the name of the shower head he bought but it's the kind that is big, round, and pretends to be rain.  honestly, i hate the feeling of rain on my skin unless it is pouring.  those little drizzles are a waste of time and makeup so hopefully our shower head will be pouring and blasting soon.  maybe we should just attach a firman's hose or something?  i'm quite the savvy plumber, huh?!

friday date night!

ralph and i went on a date tonight for mexican food and a movie.  this sounds like most of our dates, huh?!  we're usually not this predictible but we've both been so exhausted that not much more than eating and staring at a screen for 2 hours really appeals to us.

anyways, we ate at a restaurant new to me called tlaqupaque (i think that's the proper spelling?) #2 (on delmas and willow).  if you live in the san jose area and haven't eaten here, you must drop everything and head over there now!  don't wait until 9 o'clock because they close early.  it was seriously some of the best mexican food i've ever had and that's saying a lot coming from me because it takes a lot to impress me in the realm of mexican food.  and best of all, it was cheap!

after dining we saw jarhead.  we bumped into anthony and christine in the theatre so that was awesome since we had considered inviting them but we never called since christine and 10 o'clock shows usually don't mix.  anyways, jarhead pretty much sucked (which i had not expected).  it was 2 hours but about 1 hour and 30 minutes too long.  it didn't help that i kept waiting on the edge of my seat for some excitement but it never happened.  i'm glad i sacrificed my sleep the evening before a full-day notary class to see this awful movie.  perhaps you'll like it better than me.

late bloomer

in most realms of life, i'm would probably be considered an early bloomer.  in the world of alcohol, i'm definitely a late, late, late bloomer.  i enjoy drinks but my taste still closely resembles that of somebody who just turned 21.  beer and i are just starting to become friends and red wine and i are definitely still on the rocks.  i enjoy a glass of white wine here and there but i have no clue how to choose it.  so now you can see why i usually keep it within the martini family.

anyways, i found an awesome sauvignon blanc.  well, i didn't find it but a wine man (can't recall their official title) did and i want to share it with you: it's nobilo 2004 sauv blanc.  this brand is from new zealand and it's one of the best wines i've had to date.  ok, off to buy a case!  ;)

enjoy!

love of the lash

i love eyelashes. well, eyelashes and teeth to be more accurate. anyways, i decided in junior high that i was put on earth to find the best mascara ever made. and i've worn mascara every day since then, and lots of it. my long time favorite was max factor's 2000 calorie in rich black with a straigh brush, then it was max factor's lash something or other (can't recall that name at the moment but it was good stuff in a blue and gold container). well, ive' found something better, it's clinique's high impact mascara. i can wear 5 layers without it getting lumpy and it is beautious! talking to people, it turns out that half the girls i know also wear it, including my sister. hello?! why didn't anybody tell me about this miracle worker years ago?! anyways, go out, buy it, and wear lots. oh, and clinique, feel free to drop me a bone!

odds and ends of reviews

o.t.c.: over the counter

pepto bismol- who knew this stuff really worked?  i have enjoyed chewing these for their bubble-gummy flavor but they prove effective for more than taste!  i had a terrible stomachache from an odd combination of foods, so bad that i thought i had food poisoning.  i chewed some of the pink pills and within 10 minutes i was feeling relief.  for a bad stomach i recommend chewing 2-3 of these but read the directions because i'm not a doctor.

visine a/c (allergy control): i haven't been getting enough sleep lately so my eyes have been really blood shot in the mornings.  in addition, my allergies have been worse than usual for summer so they are extra itchy.  visine a/c takes care of both ailments.  sure, it burns like crazy when you put first put the drops in but after the pain comes bliss and really white whites.  i've also heard that you can dab some of this on a really red area of your skin (like a blemish) and it will decrease redness because it causes the capillaries to shrink.  i've also heard that this stuff can really cause a bad stomachache when put in drinks so don't do that.  so many uses!

beauty:

sonya dakar's drying potion- if you have a blemish (no matter the size), this stuff works in overnight at clearing it up!!!  it's a little pricey for such a small amount but it lasts a long time and it really works.  there's a reason this is listed as a best seller, and that's no lie!  one thing, don't let this product dry out because it becomes useless.

mac cosmetics eyeshadow- i used to not like mac eyeshadow based on the buying experience at their stores and counters (which wasn't entirely fair of me since the product has nothing to do with the salespeople).  now that i've had more experience, i don't get pressured to buy every product so i enjoy going to their counter often to test their colors, etc.  as it turns out, after trying many brands, mac has the best staying power, the most pigment, and smudges/creases the least (especially when used with a concealer as a base).  i want the full palette!

food:

whole foods': egg salad- yuck!  don't even get me started; this is part of why i want to vomit but pepto saved the day!  amanda had the sandwich and i bought the pint of egg salad.  hello, mayo, mustard...i'm looking for you but i don't see you.  in fact, where the hell were the eggs?!  needless to say, this sucked!  it tasted like a celery, yolk, parsley mish mash.  definitely pass.

whole foods': cream of broccoli soup- yuck, but not as bad as the egg salad.  it had a thinner base than most "cream of" soups but yet it was rich.  what a yucky feeling!  i would not eat this unless you plan to not eat for the rest of the week.  also, note to self- do not have this soup when eating w.f.'s wgg salad!  terrible combo.  must go vomit now!

pizza antica in s.r.- lindsay and i went here for dinner a few weeks ago and ever since then i've been craving their b.l.t. salad.  now to some people this may sound disgusting but it was actually quite delicious and very light.  it is tossed with a dijon champagne dressing which is the ultimate highlight to the flavors.  i want this every night!

customer service:

costco customer service- most places that serve the public have a motto that goes something like this: "service with a smile."  trust me, i used to work at a grocery store!  apparently, costco (at least the one located in santa clara) employees think being helpful would be a waste of time.  it took asking 4 employees for a customer to finally answering our question: where is the laminate flooring (a.k.a. pergo) located?  thanks, customer for knowing the answer since nobody who actually worked in the building knew!!!  i don't even think they knew they sold this item.  ugh. 

mimi's cafe waiter and staff- so good, so couteous...it was kinda weird and creepy.  we don't even go enough to be considered regulars.  guess they're young and still like working, which is good if you like lots of water and bread refills.

services:

verizon's ringback tones- this is a cool new feature offered by verizon wirless.  so what if my phone bill was almost $250 this month?!  it's things like this that keep me a verizon-faithful (add 10 parts sarcasm)!!!  despite my bitterness over theie pricing and phone selection, this feature is neat.  you can select songs that you want callers to hear while they are waiting for you to answer your phone.  this is a luxury for the people on the other end in my opinion so i'm often tempted to call my phone from other peoples' lines to test the feature and hear the songs i've chosen.  so, go ahead, give me a call and enjoy the tunes.  i chose a different one for my most frequent callers.  just a tip: if your mom doesn't know who the black eyed peas are, she may not see the humor in you setting her song to hey mama.

cobbler's bench shoe stretching- if you have a foot as wide as mine, this is a service worth paying for so your feet don't suffer and so you can buy normal looking shoes that don't come in "w."  i'm pretty sure you used to be able to hire somebody to do this for you (like hundreds of years ago) but now that's kinda gross.  for the low price of $6 you can have them stretched just right and your feet won't bleed from blisters caused by ultra-snug shoes!  some places do this for free when you buy shoes from them- nordstrom, being one.

sporting goods:

raleigh retroglide cruiser- ralph gave me this bike for my bday and i love it!  we've been riding them around at night and it's one of the most comfortable bikes that i've ever ridden.  it also has many speeds and hand brakes which help me avoid crashing.  pedal brakes are dangerous for me because i'm so used to the hand brakes that i forget to use the pedal brakes.  this biked rocks and i think you should get one before the sale out!

jansport drawstring backpack- now i'm not sure if this review counts because the jansport backpack i am reviewing was puchased in 1992 (i don't know if they're still made with the same level of craftsmanship).  i just have to say that this thing endured my high school and college book carrying days and now it endures carrying a 25-pound pug on our cruiser adventures (we've had good luck so far, knock on wood).  i'm impressed to say the least.  this thing is sturdy and it has a drawstring top in case you need to increase/decrease the size for contents.

worth a watch

over the weekend ralph and i watched 2 movies: march of the penguins and wedding crashers.

i would highly recommend seeing both this weekend.  march of the penguins was amazing and they are so cute.  wedding crashers was hillarious and every bit worth the $10 (curse the theatres!).

md skincare

after testing what seems like all the product lines ever created, i like md skincare by dr. gross the best.  i would recommend this to people of all skin types because it is mild yet effective (no matter what you're looking to improve).

my regimine:

morning-

all-in-one wash with toner

alpha peel face pads (step 1 and 2)

auto-balance lotion with spf

tinted spf in medium (this offers great coverage without clogging pores)

eyes: light & lift cream

evening-

all-in-one wash with toner

vitamin c gel for the face

maximum moisure lotion

eyes: light & lift cream

ok, so i do a lot to my skin.  what can i say?

tan without the sun

who knew self tanners could be so great?!  i think the sun is going to be put out of business fairly soon.

i used one for the first time last night (i know lindsay is laughing right now!).  i never felt i needed to use them before because i'm kinda naturally tan (well, by most peoples standards) but in my opinion my less exposed areas (thighs, stomach) could use a lot of work- just to catch up with my arms and face.  i used neutrogrena's build-a-tan ("gradual sunless tanning") which allows you to control your shade based on how many applications you do.  i did an application last night before bed and i woke up a shade darker.  i did another application before work and i got another shade darker- i think i'm obsessed with this.  i'll probably continue to do 2 applications per day until we make it to the lake (this weekend).  i don't want my legs to blind anybody and i think darker legs look slimmer so that's what i'm hoping for!!!

the lotion didn't stain my clothes and it looked a little smudged where i put lots of layers on, but nothing too obvious.  it does warn not to put any on your knees, ankles, etc- but that may be the norm for all self tanners.  who knows?  they also have a version of build-a-tan specifically for the face.  i think i get that one on the way home!

i would definitely recommend going out and buying a bottle at the closest drug store, right now!

asia sf

last night i went to asia sf as an informal gathering for amanda's going away.  it was a lot of fun, very entertaining, and they know a thing or two about how to mix a sidecar right (which believe it or not, is very rare!).  the food was better than i expected and i was bummed to see that so many men could look so much better than actual women.  the shows were great and i loved their outfits and their dance routines.  we went downstairs to dance after eating and the music was fairly good. 

vandy accidentally punched a girl in the face.  some weirdo from one of the bachelorette parties was dancing with a huge inflatable penis (her fiance must be so proud!).  i saw a cheesy male stripper (dressed as a "cop") bust in on a private party- but i'm sure this was part of their plan!  and the highlight was watching the bachelor (yes, there was a bachelor party there!) being seranaded by "britney spears"'s asian counterpart.  you know he loved it! 

i love the shoes i bough for the evening and my top matched it perfectly.  i flet like a drag queen, too, but i'm sure we all have those days.  i love big heels, lots of makeup, and glitter.  het, they should consider giving me a job! ;)

i applied amanda's makeup and her eyes looked so cool!  i love doing other peoples' makeup because it lets me learn how to work on different eyes shapes, colors, and styles!

yay makeup!  yay drag queens!  i'll be seeing you soon!  maybe for my bday?!